Device foe ordnance



W.` R. ELLIOTT.

0R ORDNANGB. y

Patented July 8,1 884.

Nrrn rvrames a'rnni WILLIAM It. ELLIOTT, OF

TOPEKA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JACOB J. VAGNER, OF SAME PLAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettersv Patent No. 301,811, dated July V8, 1884-. Application filed April 1, 1884. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM It. ELLIOTT, a citizen ofthe United States of America, residing at Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loading Ordnance; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to ordnance; and Vit consists in'the improvements hereinafter set forth and described, whereby cannons may be quickly and expeditiously loaded and the cartridge charged and effectually placed at the extreme portion of the bore without danger from premature explosion.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, Figure l is a sectional view illustrating my improvement, and Figs. 2 and 3 are like views illustrating a modification.

The improvement consists, principally, in

` a device which permits the cartridge being drawn to the head of the bore from .a location at the rear of the gun. Vith this object in View the breech is provided witha perforation, a, which provides a communication from the rear of the cannon with the extreme end of the bore. A rod, A, extends through the perforation a and along the bore, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and has its outer end formed into a loop or handle, l), to facilitate the manipula tion ofthe rod, while itsinner end, c, is thread ed to engage a central perforation therefor in a disk, B., 'Ihe said disk B is of a diameter suflicient to completely fill the bore of the gun, and is provided on its front face with a thread ed bore, d, adapted to engage a threaded recess therefor in shown in Fig. 1. The rod Ais forced into the gun, so that the disk B is near the muzzle of the said gun, in which position a cartridge can besecurely attached to said disk by screwing it on `the threaded boss of said disk, as

thel cartridge cap or shell, as A illustrated in said figure. As so attached, the handle b of the rod A can be readily grasped and the rod A drawn so that the disk audits attached cartridge will be moved to the extremity of the breech of the bore. From the'foregoing it will,be apparent that the cartridge is only handled at the front of the gun sufficiently to insure its attachment to the disk B, and at a point where premature explosion V scarcely or never occurs, and, in lieu of the dangerous practice of ramming it home from a position in front of the bore, it may be readily drawn to its proper position in the breech from the rear of said gun. In Figs. 2 andhaveillustrated amodication. In said figures a cup or receptacle, D, is attached to the inner end of the rod A by a fiexible con nection, e. This arrangement permits the cup or receptacle D to be entirely removed from the gun bore, a cartridge or charge placed therein, after which it can be placed in the muzzle of the gun and the rod A moved to draw said cup Band its contents to the proper position in the breech, as seen in Fig. 3.

'Io provide for the explosion of the cartridge or charge, Iprovide the disk of the receptacle D with breech-pins g, which play through perforations head f, and normally project from rear side thereof. \Vhen the diskB or cup D is drawn home, the said pins, contacting with the breechwall b of the bore, will be forced into the cartridge or charge and explode the same by percussion.

I do not limit myself to the precise construe tion herein shown and described, but reserve to myself the right to adopt such modied constructions as fallwithin the spirit of my invention.

I claiml. rIhe combination, in a loading-disk for ordnance, of a device or its equivalent adapted for the reception or attachment of a cartridge or charge, and a connection extending to the rear ofthe gun, and capable of moving said disk from the muzzle to the breech, and provided with means for firing said cartridge by percussion, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

B of the head f in said disk B or 2. The combination, in a loading device for ordnance, of a device designed for the reception or attachment of a cartridge or charge, said device being provided with a iiring-pin, and a connection extending through thebreech and adapted to move the cartridge-holding device from the muzzle .to the breech and actuate the iiring-pin, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

The combination, in a loading device for ordnance, of a disk having a threaded boss to engage a recess therefor in the head or cup of the cartridge, and a rod connected at its forward end to said disk, and extending through the perforation in the breech, and terminating in a handle, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

l 4. The combination in a device for loading 7 t:

ordnance, of a cup or receptacle adapted to receive a cartridge or charge, and provided with I firing-pins, which slide within the same, and a flexible connection attached to said recepta- I cle, extending through a perforation in the I breech to the rear of the gun, substantially as l set fort-h. y 5. rlhe combination, in a loading device for ordnance, of a device adapted for the attaclr J ment or reception of a cartridge or charge,

provided with a firing-pin seated in its base, l and a flexible connection attached to said dei vice and to the end of a rod extending through l a perforation in the breech to the rear of the I gun, substantially as set forth,

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM R. ELLIOTT. 

